And just so you know, the babies in food one is very obviously not true. Proof here.

Where news comes from (circa 2017) – pic: JaneB13

How To Spot Fake News

It can be hard to tell if a headline is true or not unless you read back into the whole story. This can involve a bit of background research such as looking for the original quote or finding the original story on one of the news wires.

As a general rule, if you see some particularly shocking headline, ask the following questions.

Really though?

Does that seem like something that would really happen?

Why would anyone do that?

Wouldn’t X have stopped that or spotted that before it happened?

Does it mention monsters, God or other freaky stuff (in which case, definitely not true).

If you think for a second that the story or the source is even a little bit dubious, don’t share it. If you think it’s so outrageous and ridiculous that you must share it then stop for a second.

You’re gonna need to…

DO SOME FACT CHECKING!

In the same way that it is easy to share all this info, it’s equally as easy to fact check ANY story these days.

Here is how you fact check any story in about 30 seconds.

Google the story in question – see the results.

Add the word ‘snopes’ to the end of the search – read that result.

Snopes, for the uninitiated, is a site dedicated to exposing the crap stories which come out. It’s gone from being quite a small site to a massive one, thanks to the reams of rubbish that is generated every day.

Be aware too that there are sites where anyone can make up their own fake news, which is often how these stories get into the mainstream. As of today a fake video interview was created with Barack Obama, opening up a whole new world of fake news (here’s an article about it).

So there you have it. You never need to share any outright lies ever again! I look forward to logging onto Facebook next time…

Did I hit you with the facts? Feel free to comment on your views about fake news or how to fact check below.

And please share this A LOT – on whatever social media you see fit. Lovely. Cheers.

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